Roller with salient members

ABSTRACT

A roll for feeding substrate material, which includes a sheet roller, which has a circumference and a surface layer, configured to rotate about a first axis. A plurality of salient members are disposed on the surface layer to extend along the first axis at intervals about the circumference. Each of the plurality of salient members is configured to cause a fold line to form across a width of the substrate material, which is substantially perpendicular to a direction of travel of the substrate material.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a roll and, more specifically, to aroll which includes salient members for forming fold lines on asubstrate material.

2. Related Art

Deposition systems have been created for the deposition of metal,oxides, or similar materials onto continuously wound thin substrates,such as paper, plastic film, metal foil and the like. The wound orrolled thin substrates can be used, for example, as packaging material,capacitors and magnetic tape.

Unfortunately, rolled thin substrates are easily warped duringprocessing. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, typically, the warped area 100may be created by the expansion of the substrate (i.e. bulging) whichoccurs when the thin substrate is exposed to heat or when the thinsubstrate has formed wrinkles, during the rolling process.

Wrinkles or bulges 102 formed on the thin substrate 104 make itdifficult to properly and adequately deposit vaporized materials 106thereon. For example, in a vacuum deposition process, vaporizedmaterials 106 travel upward (vertically) to be deposited on a relativelyflat surface of the substrate.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the bulged area is not flat, thus, causing aportion of the bulged area to be inadequately covered with vaporizedmaterial. The sides of the bulged area, which are not covered, formlines known as “rails” on the substrate.

What is need is a roll that can reduce or eliminate warping and thusremove the cause for the formation of rails and similarly destructiveformations.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a roll of a roller assembly that canreduce or eliminate the formation of bulges and wrinkles that createwarped areas on thin substrate materials.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a roll isprovided for feeding substrate material. The roll includes a sheetroller, which has a circumference and a surface layer, configured torotate about a first axis. A plurality of salient members are disposedon the surface layer to extend along the first axis at intervals aboutthe circumference. Each of the plurality of salient members isconfigured to cause a fold line to form across a width of the substratematerial, which is substantially perpendicular to a direction of travelof the substrate material.

In another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided whichincludes feeding a sheet of substrate material into a sheet roller. Thesheet roller has a circumference and a surface layer and is configuredto rotate about a first axis. The method also includes forming a foldline across a width of the sheet of substrate material, which issubstantially perpendicular to a direction of travel of the sheet ofsubstrate material. as the sheet of substrate material contacts at leasta portion of the sheet roller.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, a roll is provided forfeeding substrate material. The roll includes a sheet roller, having acircumference and a surface layer, configured to rotate about a firstaxis and; and a means for forming a fold line across a width of thesubstrate material, which is substantially perpendicular to a directionof travel of the substrate material.

Advantageously, the sheet roller including the plurality of salientmembers causes fold lines to be formed across the width of the substratematerial, as the substrate material is wound about the roll. The foldlines increase the tensile strength of the substrate material across thewidth, which increase the resistance of the substrate material tounwanted expansion due to heat and to the unwanted formation ofwrinkles.

Depending on the specifications of the substrate material, the radius ofthe fold lines, the interval between the fold lines and the pitch of thefold lines can be tailored by modifying the size and shape of thesalient members. Fold lines can be formed on the top and bottom surfacesof the substrate material to further increase the strength of thematerial.

Beneficially, if the substrate material can be wound through the rollwithout forming warped areas, the substrate material is in a bettercondition for being subjected to various forms of deposition, such asvacuum deposition and other deposition techniques at ambient pressureand temperature, which reduces or eliminates detriments, such as theformation of rails.

The fold lines formed by the present invention are very small andtherefore cannot be detected by the naked eye. Moreover, the fold linesdo not cause a detriment to any deposition processes. In addition, thefold lines are easily removed from the substrate material with minimalfurther processing.

These and other features of the present invention will be more readilyapparent from the detailed description of the embodiments set forthbelow taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIGS. 1A and 1B are simplified side and front views, respectively, of athin substrate undergoing a deposition process;

FIG. 2 is a simplified illustration of a roll in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a simplified illustration of an embodiment of a sheet rollerin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a simplified side view showing a roll with salient members inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4B and 4C are simplified illustration of alternative embodimentsof salient members in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a simplified illustration of a portion of a substrate materialhaving fold lines in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6A is a simplified illustration of an operational embodiment of aroll having flat bars in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIGS. 6B-6E are simplified cross sectional views of the width of asubstrate material.

A detailed description of embodiments according to the present inventionwill be given below with reference to accompanying drawings

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 2 is a simplified illustration of roll 200, which includes a rollershaft 202 and a sheet roller 204. It should be understood that theconstruction of roll 200 can be accomplished using any conventionalparts and manufacturing techniques.

In one exemplary embodiment with no intent to limit the invention, asFIG. 2 shows, sheet roller 204 can be rotatably mounted on a pluralityof casings housing bearings on roller shaft 202. Sheet roller 204 may beconfigured to have many shapes, for example, sheet roller 204 can havean outer circumference that is constant or, which gradually increases ordecreases progressively in an axial direction from its central parttoward its opposite end parts.

In this embodiment, end flanges 206 can be fitted in the end parts ofsheet roller 204. Set flanges 208 can be mounted on the external sidesof the end flanges. Set sleeves 210 can be fitted onto roller shaft 202.Gears 212 may be used to transmit a drive force for rotation of sheetroller 204.

The length and diameter of sheet roller 204 can be made as desired for aparticular application. In one embodiment, with no intention to limitthe invention, the length of sheet roller 204 can be between about 300mm and about 20,000 mm. The diameter of sheet roller 204 can be varied,but depends on the characteristics of the thin substrate material, suchas the thickness, width, flexibility, tensile strength and the like. Inone embodiment, the diameter of sheet roller 204 can range between about50 mm to about 1,000 mm.

The length and diameter of roller shaft 202 can be made as desired for aparticular application. No special limit is put on the sectionalstructure and the specifications of the roller shaft. An example of aroll is fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,246, which is hereinincorporated by reference for all purposes.

FIG. 3 is a simplified illustration of an embodiment of sheet roller 204in accordance with the present invention. In this embodiment, sheetroller 204 includes a plurality of salient members 302 positioned aboutthe circumference of sheet roller 204. Salient members 302 extend thelongitudinal length of sheet roller 204 and may be mounted to sheetroller 204 by using an adhesive or similar substance. Alternatively,salient members 302 can be formed into sheet roller 204 duringfabrication of the sheet roller, such as by molding, casting ormachining.

The number of salient members 302 mounted or formed on sheet roller 202can vary based on the number of fold lines 502 desired to be formed onsubstrate S (FIG. 5).

Salient members 302 can be made of any material that is capable ofproviding support against compression forces created by the substratematerial being wound thereon, such as resin, including plastics, metal,paper and the like.

FIG. 4A is a simplified side view of resilient members 302 coupled tosheet roller 204. FIG. 4B shows an embodiment of salient member 302 asflat bar 400, which can have a substantially rectangular cross-section.The substantially rectangular cross section of flat bar 400 makes flatbar 400 suitable for use with thin substrate materials, such as thosematerials having a thickness of between about 0.003 mm and about 0.030mm. The length of flat bar 400 is generally equal to the length of thesheet roller. In one embodiment, the length ranges from between about300 mm and 20,000 mm. The height h of flat bar 400 can be varied as afunction of the diameter of roll 200. In one embodiment, the thickness hof flat bar 400 can range between about 0.1 mm and about 1 mm. The widthw of flat bar 400 can also vary depending on the application, forexample, between about 5 mm and about 20 mm.

FIG. 4B illustrates a single flat bar 400, which includes roundedcorners 402 and 404. The radius r of rounded corners 402 and 404determines the angle at which fold lines 502 are formed onto substratematerial S (FIG. 5). In one embodiment, radius r can range from betweenabout half the thickness of flat bar 400 to twice the thickness of flatbar 400. For example, radius r can range from between about 0.05 mm toabout 2 mm. Accordingly, the fold line angles formed on substratematerial S also have a radius r equivalent to the angle of the roundedcorners 402 and 404, which are not acute angles to avoid causingpermanent damage to the substrate material.

As shown in FIG. 4C, in another embodiment, the salient members 302 canhave a substantially circular cross-section, such as shown as round bar406. The substantially circular cross section of round bar 406 makesround bar 406 suitable for use with thin substrate materials, such asthose materials having a thickness of between about 0.003 mm and about0.030 mm. In one embodiment, round bar 406 has a diameter of betweenabout 0.1 mm and about 4 mm.

Referring now to FIGS. 6A-6E, in one operational embodiment, substratematerial S is pulled around roll 200 and salient members or flat bars604 as roll 200 is made to rotate. As substrate material S is pulled inthe direction of travel indicted by arrow 602, mechanical vibration aswell as slip efficiency defined by the Law of Pulling cause the pullingforce to be greater in the center of the material, in turn, causing theperipheral portions of substrate material S to move toward the center.This phenomenon causes the width of substrate material to narrowcreating wrinkle waves, such as those shown in FIG. 6B. As the materialapproaches the first flat bar 604 to which it shall make contact, inthis embodiment, flat bar 604 a, the wrinkle waves become considerablysmaller (FIG. 6C and FIG. 6D). Upon reaching flat bar 604 a, the pullingforce causes the substrate material S to be pulled down to flat (FIG.6E).

Without flat bars 604, the width of substrate material S is stretched(made wider) or is pushed to the center (made narrower). However, as thematerial winds around flat bars 604 on roll 200 the wrinkle waves areflattened while fold lines 502 are formed across the width of substratematerial S in even intervals as shown in FIG. 5. The fold lines are notformed of an acute angle.

As shown in FIG. 5, fold lines 502 are formed with an apex across thewidth of substrate material S, the fold lines increase the tensilestrength across the width of the substrate, which makes substratematerial S stronger across the width and thus more resistant to heatexpansion, which leads to bulging and to forces which cause the materialto stretch and shrink, which can cause wrinkle waves, which leads to theformation of warped areas.

Since strengthening substrate material S reduces bulges and warpedareas, substrate material S can be subjected to vapor deposition orother coating techniques without forming rails or other detrimentalaffects related to wrinkles and bulges.

Referring again to FIG. 5, in an alternative embodiment, substratematerial S can be made to wind around a first roll creating fold lines,such as fold lines 502 with an apex on a first surface 506 of substratematerial S. The material can then be fed to a second roll that causesthe formation of fold lines, such as fold lines 504 having an apex on asecond surface 508 of substrate material S. Substrate materials whichhave fold lines on both surfaces of the material have an even strongerresistance to the formation of wrinkle waves.

Fold lines 502 and 504 are generally made so thin as to not be visibleto the naked eye. Moreover, the fold lines are easily removed fromsubstrate material S after processing, such as deposition processing. Inone embodiment, fold lines 502 and 504 can be removed by using ameanderless roller. In general, the meanderless roller is an expansionroller, which can be used to remove wrinkles in the substrate material.

The meanderless roller is a roll including a curved shaft upon which isrotatably mounted an elastic roller which has its circumferenceincreasing progressively from its center to its ends. The article to bepassed contacts the parts of the roller closest to the ends with thelarger diameter and passes in a stable manner without distortion orpermanent set therein.

Consequently, the areas of the substrate material at the ends receive ahigher pulling force extending the same in its cross-wise direction thanthe center area of the substrate material. This causes the substratematerial to be stretched out in the cross-wise direction. This forcemakes it possible to stretch out any wrinkles or fold lines in thearticle to be passed.

A meanderless roller is fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,246,which is herein incorporated by reference for all purposes.

Having thus described embodiments of the present invention, personsskilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form anddetail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Thus the invention is limited only by the following claims.

1. A roll for feeding substrate material comprising: a sheet rollerconfigured to rotate about a first axis and having a circumference and asurface layer; and a plurality of salient members disposed on saidsurface layer to extend along said first axis at intervals about saidcircumference, each of said plurality of salient members configured tocause a fold line to form across a width of said substrate materialsubstantially perpendicular to a direction of travel of said substratematerial.
 2. The roll of claim 1, wherein said plurality of salientmembers comprise a material selected from the group consisting ofresins, metals and paper.
 3. The roll of claim 1, wherein each of saidplurality of salient members comprise a salient member having asubstantially rectangular cross section.
 4. The roll of claim 3, whereinat least one corner of said rectangular cross sectional member isrounded.
 5. The roll of claim 4, wherein a radius of said at least onerounded corner is equal to between about half of the thickness of thesalient member to about twice the thickness of the salient member. 6.The roll of claim 4, wherein a radius of said at least one roundedcorner is equal to between about 0.05 mm and about 2 mm.
 7. The roll ofclaim 1, wherein each of said plurality of salient members comprise asalient member having a substantially circular cross section.
 8. Amethod comprising: feeding a sheet of substrate material into a sheetroller configured to rotate about a first axis and having acircumference and a surface layer; and forming a fold line across awidth of said sheet of substrate material substantially perpendicular toa direction of travel of said substrate material as said sheet ofsubstrate material contacts at least a portion of said sheet roller. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein said sheet roller comprises a pluralityof salient members disposed on said surface layer to extend along saidfirst axis at intervals about said circumference, each of said pluralityof salient members configured to contact said sheet of substratematerial to cause said formation of a fold line across a width of saidsubstrate material substantially perpendicular to a direction of travelof said substrate material.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein saidplurality of salient members comprise a material selected from the groupconsisting of resins, metals and paper.
 11. The method of claim 9,wherein each of said plurality of salient members comprise a salientmember having a substantially rectangular cross section.
 12. The methodof claim 11, wherein at least one corner of said rectangular crosssectional salient member is rounded.
 13. The method of claim 12, whereina radius of said at least one rounded corner is equal to between abouthalf of the thickness of the salient member to twice the thickness ofthe salient member.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein a radius of saidat least one rounded corner is equal to between about 0.05 mm and about2 mm.
 15. The method of claim 9, wherein each of said plurality ofsalient members comprise a salient member having a substantiallycircular cross section.
 16. A roll for feeding substrate materialcomprising: a sheet roller configured to rotate about a first axis andhaving a circumference and a surface layer; and means for forming a foldline across a width of said substrate material substantiallyperpendicular to a direction of travel of said substrate material. 17.The roll of claim 16, wherein said means comprises a plurality ofsalient members disposed on said surface layer to extend along saidfirst axis at intervals about said circumference.
 18. The roll of claim17, wherein said plurality of salient members comprise a materialselected from the group consisting of resins, metals and paper.
 19. Theroll of claim 17, wherein each of said plurality of salient memberscomprise a salient member having a substantially rectangular crosssection, wherein at least one corner of said rectangular cross sectionalmember is rounded.
 20. The roll of claim 19, wherein a radius of said atleast one rounded corner is equal to between about 0.05 mm and about 2mm.